Becoming a Recreant
by Stormy1x2
Summary: Casey centric but enough Mikey mentioning to keep it legal for the FF100 challenge. Set after the Return of Nano and the date fiasco, just before April uses the reward money to rebuild her place. Complete title inside.


**Title: **Becoming a Recreant (_and then getting over it!_

**Author: **Stormy1x2 (travelingstorm)

**Rating:** G

**Word Count (fic portion):** 657

**Notes: **Done for LJ's ff100 challenge. Prompt # 58: **dinner**.

**Summary:** Casey-centric but enough Mikey-mentions to keep it legal for the challenge. Set after the Return of Nano and the non-date fiasco, just before April uses the reward money to rebuild her place.

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Casey prided himself on being able to keep a cool head in a crisis. Growing up in the bad part of New York, the son of a former pro hockey player and a body building champion had pretty much guaranteed that he could handle just about anything life could throw at him. A thug with a shiv, a gangster with a gun – hell, even a ninja with a sword, none of these things caused him to break a sweat.

But then, he'd never faced an adversary like what he was going up against right now.

"Get away from me."

Raph and Donnie exchanged identical and evil-looking smirks. Donatello nodded at Raph. "Hold him."

"You got it." Raphael lunged forward and snagged Casey's collar as the vigilante tried to make a break for it. Casey twisted in his grasp, snarling, lashing out, but Raph rode it out, spinning him around and locking the humans arms in a vice grip behind his back.

"Let go of me!" Casey howled. This was completely unfair.

"Really, Casey," Donnie admonished, approaching the older man. He held something in his hands. Casey's eyes widened in terror. "This really shouldn't be so difficult."

Casey cringed as Donatello looped the noose over his head, cinching it around his neck and tightened it slowly. Casey gagged, and choked. He knew his face was turning red; was probably close to turning _blue_.

"Lemme go," he wheezed. "Guys, don't do this to me, please!"

"Would you stop acting like a scared child?" Donatello gave a final tug, eliciting another pained gasp from Casey, and then stepped back, eying his work critically. "There. All done."

"Can't...breathe..."

"Quit bein' such a wimp," Raph told him sternly. "You can't take our sister out to a fancy restaurant in a dirty wife beater, you dolt."

Casey whimpered and pawed at his throat pathetically. "But a tie?" This was cruel and unusual punishment.

Mikey stuck his head in the door. "Ya ready, Case-man?"

Casey didn't have much choice. Raph and Donnie were propelling him towards the door, hands firmly gripping the satin lapels of the suit jacket he'd chosen. Well... Mikey had chosen, Donnie had ordered and April had paid for. And Raph had manhandled him into wearing it, so yeah, this was definitely turning out to be a group effort. But still, a tie? Casey looped a finger through the band and tugged it away from his Adam's apple. He could have sworn it was tightening further with every passing second.

Raph pushed him through the door, and he stumbled to a halt, looking up in shock at his dinner date. April stood there, escorted in by Leonardo, dressed in a light green and white dress with thin straps that had Casey swallowing hard. She looked beautiful. Case was suddenly thankful that he'd gone ahead and gotten his car for their date. The Battle Shell would have been out of place at the restaurant (and god help the valets who touched the wrong button) and he would have felt like a first class heel making April get on his bike dressed like that.

Suddenly, he felt ten feet tall, bulletproof even, and he strode forward confidently. April smiled at him, making his knees go all wobbly, and he reached for her hand. "Thanks for agreeing to this, April."

"My pleasure, Casey," she said. Her cheeks were the faintest shade of red, and Casey felt the urge to reach out and brush his thumb along her cheekbone. "Shall we go?"

"Yeah." Casey escorted her to the elevator.

"I love the tie." She hugged his arm to her side. "It means a lot to me that you'd dress up for dinner."

Casey beamed. "It's no big deal, April," he assured her. "I thought you deserved only the best, after all."

And as the doors closed, he could hear disbelieving snorts of laughter from four reptiles claiming to his buddies, but they were easy enough to tune out.

----

**End**

Oh, Casey. How I loved your newest incarnation in the 4th movie. :)

I know the fandom's been quiet lately, but feedback is always appreciated.


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